State says SlC creek safe 2 years after spill

Tuesday , March 18, 2014 - 2:03 PM

Contributed

SALT LAKE CITY— A state report says Red Butte Creek is safe for residents two years after a Chevron oil spill.

The Utah Division of Water Quality says in a report released Thursday that cleanup efforts effectively restored the water quality to levels at other urban Salt Lake City creeks unaffected by the June 2010 spill.

Officials acknowledge trace amounts of possible oil-related compounds have been detected in stream sediments in limited locations. They have not been able to trace those to the pipeline spill that dumped 33,000 gallons into the creek and killed all the fish at Liberty Lake.

Another 21,000 gallons spilled from the pipeline in December 2010 and contaminated the entrance to Red Butte Gardens.

Three dozen residents of a Salt Lake City neighborhood are suing Chevron over the spills.